Kindergarten Open House

I am choosing to celebrate the "firsts" in my boys' lives because you never know when it will be a last.  I will admit it, I am terrified of some of the firsts that occur.  Like Jonathan starting preschool last spring.  Would he behave? Would he make friends? Would he cry?  And he did great and his "graduation" was a beautiful celebration.  Because this little guy has overcome so much.  He continues to grow by leaps and bounds, and I am so proud of his maturity and kindness.  But I am worried about kindergarten.  Will he follow the rules?  Will he make friends?  Will he keep his hands to himself?  I have learned that I am not in control, and that I can not always protect him from the evil of this world, and I can not always be there to help him make the right choices.  But I can help guide his little heart when I am with him, and pray fiercely when we're apart, hoping that he remembers everything that Darin and I have taught him.

So, Jonathan told me that he doesn't need kindergarten because he already knows everything.  He didn't want to go at all, and even tried to negotiate his three-hour half-day kindergarten down to one hour each day.  Sigh.  Maybe he'll be an attorney?

After meeting his teacher and seeing his classroom, he is now very excited to start kindergarten.  And I am, too!  His teacher is so kind, and she spent countless hours setting up her room.  Her love for her students is displayed on the walls, in the hall, and in the care she took organizing the classroom.

Vacation 2015 ~ Hilton Head Island

We drove for a few hours after leaving Holiday World and stayed overnight in a hotel.  We left early the next morning to continue our drive to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.  The trip was pretty smooth, but we did have to pull over a couple times during torrential rains.  However, the rain on the way there was not a foreshadowing of our trip ~ we had gorgeous, sunny weather every single day!  We spent almost every morning at the beach; Jonathan surfed the waves with his boogie board, and Owen played in the sand.

The boys were pretty awesome in the car ~ we had activities and movies on the way down, but the DVD player quit working for the ride home.  However, we survived and enjoyed our long road trip together as a family of four.

We bought Jonathan a small Lego set for vacation, and he couldn't wait to put it together.  He was counting down the days to vacation just so he could open it and see the figures!  We arrived at our condo late on Saturday evening, but Jonathan persevered and put the set together that evening.  It was a great start to vacation.

First picture on the beach!

Owen loved playing in the sand!

First time in the ocean since he was 18 months old.  He loved it!

Jonathan's one request on vacation was to drink out of a coconut.  When we got back from the store and showed him the coconut, this was his reaction:

He really liked it!

Grandad and Owen ~ buddies.

Waiting for the Dunes Buggy to the beach.

Catching some waves!

He was "working" to fill a hole with water.  

Owen told me to "get my own hole" when I stepped into his.
 He was pretty serious about his "work", as he called it.

Playing with Grandma Jeank.

My favorite Owie picture of the trip!

Lunch date!

We enjoyed breakfast at Stack's Pancakes while the big boys were out golfing.

As soon as the plate was set down in front of Owen,
he snatched up the cup of whipped cream and this was the end result.

Dinner with this crazy kid at the Mellow Mushroom.

The park in Harbour Town was a lot of fun on a hot day...and so was the trip up to the top of the lighthouse!

View from the top of the lighthouse.

Salty Dog Cafe ice cream shop!

Owen took my ice cream, and when I mentioned it to him, he said, "Not my problem."

Date night on the beach.

Favorite Jonathan pic of the trip!

On our last day at the beach, there were lots of tidal pools.  They were definitely a hit with the boys! There were lots of little fish swimming around in the pools; we I tried to catch some, but they were too fast for me!  I found a dead, decapitated fish, and Jonathan buried it in the sand.  He also buried two dead crabs that we found.

Snack time, which also means ingesting large amounts of sand.